Stampede at Indian Idol's Noida audition injures aspirants

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More than a dozen people were injured in a stampede during the audition for reality TV show Indian Idol at Noida's Sector-62 on Tuesday.
This is the latest in a series of such events that took place in the past one week.
Last Thursday, 63 p

More than a dozen people were injured in a stampede during the audition for reality TV show Indian Idol at Noida's Sector-62 on Tuesday.

This is the latest in a series of such events that took place in the past one week.

Last Thursday, 63 people, including 26 children and 37 women, were killed in a stampede at an ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh. On Monday, one person died in Mumbai's Vakola area during a police recruitment drive.

On Tuesday, thousands of boys and girls had lined up outside Expo Mart in Sector-62, Noida, to audition for Indian Idol. When the gates opened, they made a mad rush for the entrance triggering the stampede.

The 60 bouncers and 15 policemen who were deployed at the spot could do little to contain the crowd.

Within minutes, candidates fell over each other. Around a dozen boys and girls were injured and were rushed to the Fortis Hospital in Sector- 62. Most of them had fractured their limbs, injured their heads and were bruised.

The organisers were reportedly expecting around 2,000 aspirants but close to 40,000 turned up.

Sandeep Singh, one of the injured contestants from Agra, said: "Hundreds of boys and girls had started gathering in front of the venue since Monday evening. They were tired and everyone wanted to get into the auditorium first. When the gates opened, they made a dash for it." He said there was such a huge crowd that it became difficult for the organisers to control it. "People started falling over each other and the situation went out of hand," he said.

"The entry to the venue was initially opened for 100 candidates but a large number of candidates rushed in, resulting in the stampede. We had deployed adequate police personnel, including a sub-inspector, as demanded by the organisers. They had their own security as well," Singh said.

Additional forces were deployed at the venue after the incident.

District magistrate Deepak Agarwal said the matter is being probed. "Action would be taken against the organisers if any laxity is found."

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